Wine

These grapes are grown on the sustainably farmed Nord Family property located in the cooler climate of Southern Napa. Pinot Gris is typically admired for its weight and relatively low acidity. Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch employed a cold fermentation process, which also assisted in producing a dry wine with nice acidic balance. Flavor profile: Stone fruit, […]

How does vineyard management influence the quality and character of the wine? What is meant by “minimal intervention” in the winery? Is it a marketing tactic or a valuable philosophy? Master of Wine Benjamin Lewin, author of Wine Myths and Reality, sorts through some of these questions with Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education. […]

“Ask Our Educator” is one of my favorite website features because people write in with all kinds of wine-related questions and sometimes we get a real conversation going! In episode 57 (December 2007) we covered questions about screwcaps, sulfites and more. Since then you’ve had questions about decanting, how to buy a good wine glass, […]

Question from Susan: We have a friend who claims that she can only drink French reds because California reds have more nitrates/nitrites and give her headaches. Is this possible or is it a bit of wine snobbery? Reply: Hi, Susan! Thanks for writing! I think your friend must have meant sulfites rather than nitrites. I’m […]

Getting ready for Thanksgiving? Give a listen to this two-minute Fun Fact on the best pumpkins for baking! Speaking of Thanksgiving, Colleen has a great Thanksgiving menu for you on our homepage! Of course it includes pumpkin pie, which is absolutely delicious with a glass of our Chenin Blanc. So much to be grateful for! […]

Viognier may be shy bearing and difficult to press but the payoff is gorgeous stone fruit and flowers! We’re talking fresh peach, nectarine, honeysuckle, grapefruit and something slightly tropical like pineapple – absolutely delicious! Hear all about it! Viognier and food: Bone dry, with all the body and weight of a Chardonnay, it makes an […]

If you want to know more about cheese in general, or about pairing cheese with wine, this episode is for you! Nancy had the chance to sit down with Lassa Skinner, the General Manager of Oxbow Cheese in Napa and she offers some great information about trying new cheeses, how to select them and pairing […]

Question from Karen: I have a question for you… If you crush wine grapes and the juice has 20% sugar, is the alcohol 5%??? Looking forward to your answer. Thank you. Reply: Hi, Karen! Thanks for writing! Here’s a brief reply from our winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch: Depending on all the parameters, yeast, temperature, nutrients, and […]

In episode 80, Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, took a broad look at the world of sweet and fortified wines. The episodes that follow, like this one, break it out by category. Today’s topic is the deliciously odd world of Madeira. Each of these podcasts regarding sweet wines will be released, on a […]